Grim Eyes O'Malley - Questing for Freedom
by Nefarious Matchbox
Summary: Kansten O'Malley is not a regular girl - she has the eyes of a devil that surpass human capability, wants to be a pirate, can and has taken out a pirate crew with her bare hands, and has one dream: to have the most freedom on the seas, and embrace it alongside the strongest crew. She will do everything and go anywhere to find it! T for mild swearing/battle action
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**_Prologue - Rivemor Village, Milima Island, West Blue_**

_"Kansten Olander Malley, get back here right now!" A woman's angry voice rung through the crowded bustle of an open air spice market, easily weaving in among the other sounds. But to one young girl, that voice was like a glass shattering - loud, unexpected and startling - and she ran off among the forest of legs, giggling. _

_"No!" She said, turning to stick her tongue out at the woman who was trying to shove her way to her. _

_"Kansten, if you don't listen to me I will put you in your room and you won't be allowed out for the rest of the week!" The woman elbowed her way through the packed square, rage-filled green eyes glaring down at the ten year old girl. All of her seven sons, matured teenagers or sniffling toddlers, would have quailed at her gaze, but that impudent girl just met her eyes and grinned. _

_"Today's Saturday, Pampy," the girl said smugly, "that's not much of a punishment. And any way, you have to catch me first!" She shot off into the crowd just as Pampy lunged to grab her, causing the woman to stumble and curse at her close call. Whirling about, she searched the crowd and saw a familiar head of black hair bouncing around skinny shoulders and chased after the girl, grumbling about her ill luck. _

_Kansten was having a great time; at her caretaker's expense, of course. She weaved through the legs of women and men standing around stalls and displays with ease. Laughing, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Pampy struggling through the crowd, her orange hair and bright blue dress making her easy to spot. Picking up speed, she ran by an apple merchant and snatched a fruit, leaving a belli bill in its place. Crunching the apple, she made it to the edge of the spice market and looked around, humming. What was the best place to hide from Pampy for the next day or two? She couldn't go back to the library - she was found there last time - and the scrapyard was too full of rats this time of year. _

_Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the hand that reached out from an alley as she dashed by, and grabbed the back of her cream-coloured shirt. With a surprised yell, she found herself pulled into the shadows of the lane. Clinging to the hand, she twisted to get a look at her captor, trying to gnaw his finger off as she did. _

_A familiar pock-marked face met her venturing gaze. Blonde stubble crept up a strong jaw, and jaw length hair the same colour was tucked neatly up under a dusty conductor's hat. A patch covered his left eye, and the right looked at her with cheerful amusement as she released her hold on his thumb._

_"Cobundy?" Kansten asked, surprised. Her pirate friend wasn't supposed to return for another two weeks at least (not that she minded his sudden appearance...)_

_"O'Malley," the pirate said with a laugh. "Running from the lady boxer again?" He shook the ten year old girl playfully before setting her back down on her feet, watching as she bit back down on her apple angrily. _

_"Yeah," she said sourly. Outside the alley she could hear the ruckus her caretaker was making as she searched for her - arguing, yelling and something falling to ground and probably smashing. _

_"You always get yourself in the worst of messes," Cobundy said, shaking his head. Still holding her by the back of her shirt, he made his way down the alley and out into a quieter, darker part of town. "You can stay with me and the crew for a few days, 'til the lady boxer's calmed down."_

_"Really?" Kansten beamed up at the man, wiping sticky hands on his shirt. "Y'know, I wanna be a pirate when I grow up, but no one ever believes me. Everyone just makes fun of me - they say there's no way I'll ever make it to the Grand Line, never mind become the bestest pirate ever. But I'll show them!" She pumped a fist in the air, accidentally hitting Cobundy's chin._

_Hiding a smile, Cobundy rubbed his jaw and set the girl down in front of the lantern-lit tavern that he and his crew stayed at when they stopped in Rivemor. "Why do you want to be a pirate, O'Malley? You weren't saying this the last time I visited a year ago."_

_Kansten shoved open the door to the tavern, calling back over her shoulder, "'Cause you said the sea's where you're most free! I don't ever wanna go back to how I was living, and don't wanna have anyone telling me what to do, so I'm gonna be a pirate! The best pirate, the Pirate King, so I'll have all the freedom in the world!"_

_"All the freedom in the world, huh?" Cobundy watched the girl run up to his crew, greeting them and inquiring about new scars. She didn't flinch at the sight of missing limbs, eye patches, piercings or tattoos. She was used to scars, she didn't even notice missing teeth, and their horrid manners were a source of amusement to her. For some reason he could imagine O'Malley as a pirate. He had an odd feeling stirring in his gut, a feeling that promised great things. "Yeah, you'll show them all right, kid." He said with a laugh, and slammed the door shut behind him._

* * *

The crunch of gravel under Kansten's feet was the only thing to be heard in the midday heat. Humming softly and swinging her bag back and forth idly, she kicked up small plumes of dust that sputtered out of existence a few seconds later. It was a hot day for West Blue, early in August, and when most people would be inside relaxing, Kansten was travelling on the empty path and finally starting out on the quest for her dream. It was this knowledge that lifted her spirits and kept her going for the three days that it took to get from Rivemor Village to Calam Port, where she would find a boat or ferry to get to the next island. Now, she could just see the edges of Calam on the horizon, and at the sight of the small spires and realization that there would be food, Kansten quickened her pace to a fast jog.

Over the years she'd honed her body, all for the sake of her dream, and now she was fitter than most humans. She could hold a sprint for over an hour, and jog for a couple more. She could take down a grown man - several, at that - in hand to hand combat, and had trained for years with knives and small hand bombs. She could pick locks, cook and find food in a wasteland; and that wasn't mentioning her _ability_.

She had long black hair that was usually draped over one shoulder, curling in on itself naturally to form an odd kind of cone. It reached to her mid-back, and greatly contrasted her pale skin. Her yellow/orange eyes, speckled with silver, were probably her most stunning feature - that and the red gray tinge on her eye lids. When she activated her Devil Fruit ability, the color would creep from her eyelids to around her eye sockets, like a natural eye shadow, and her eye color would intensify, and her pupil started twitching madly. She remembered someone had once said her eyes were like kaleidoscopes, and it seemed they were right.

Kansten wore her usual travelling clothes - a blue tinged vest with gold chains, black and gold caprices and roman sandals that had little winged clips on them. A pair of red bar earrings bounced against her jaw as she ran, and the wind blew through intricately carved holes, making an eerie whistling noise.

She entered the town half an hour later, her stomach grumbling as the scent of delicious dishes filled her nose. Groaning, she made her way deeper into the crowd, looking for a tavern of restaurant that wasn't too shady, but not well-known enough to be busy. At first she had to force her way through the streets, but as the people around her caught sight of her eyes, they broke away whispering. Years ago this would have bothered Kansten, but now she was used to it, and actually found it helpful. It made getting through bustling streets a hell of a lot easier.

She finally found what she was looking for - a small restaurant shoved a ways back form the road with a swinging sign that read "_Horse's Hooves Restaurant and Bar._" Shoving open the door, she took a seat at the counter and watched the waiter make his way over to her. He was tall and had a crooked nose from one too many fist fights, but seemed nice enough.

He flashed her a cheerful smile and clasped his hands together, saying, "Would you like some beer or ale to start, or do you want your meal first..." His voice trailed off as Kansten glanced away from the sign with the food choices and met his gaze. He swallowed hard as he found himself looking into yellow and orange irises shot through with silver. Cross shaped pupils seemed to twitch ever so slightly, and even though he knew it was impossible, it was as if just the pupils were following his movements instead of the entire iris.

Kansten ignored his shock and read off her choice (**a slice of pork tenderloin, for those who're wondering**), waving him off idly. The waiter hurried away, swallowing hard once more as he handed the chef the order. He had about the girl with the bone-chilling eyes the colour of molten rock. Anyone interested in gossip on Milima Island knew - they knew all about the girl who ate the Miru Miru no Mi, all those years ago, and her abilities that seemed to transcend the human capability.

The girl named Kansten O'Malley.

* * *

**AN**** - Miru Miru no Mi - pretty much the See See Fruit. Kind of self-explanatory, but more will be revealed next chapter. For Kansten's eye colour, think Mihawk with a slight orange blemish and fragment of silver. And the cross shaped pupil is kind of vibrating, so it's creepy looking. **

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. More of Kansten next chapter!**

**Matches**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Mysterious Stranger?

**AN - Hey, here with a REALLY long chapter (3k+ wow) that hopefully isn't too boring or too riddled with mistakes.**

**Disclaimer - I own only the names/places/things you don't recognize ('cause I made them up), everything else is created by Echiira Oda.**

* * *

**Scene 1 - A Mysterious Stranger? / A Most Beneficial Encounter**

Kansten left her home island of Milima the very same day she'd arrived at the port. Deciding to let fate carve her path, she boarded a ship at random and sailed overnight to land at the neighboring Sandstone Island. It was early morning when she stepped off the ship and wandered into the town stationed around the harbor. Sandstone Island was well-known for its excellent quality stone export (obviously) so the trade was prosperous, and Kansten found herself entertaining the idea of getting a ship. She couldn't wait to set sail, but she was missing one drastic detail - a crew. And money.

"It's not like I can just enter an add in the newspaper, 'Pirate crew wanted.' What kind of fakes would show up then?" Grumbling under her breath, she cast a critical eye of the town's docks.

To most people it would be a regular sight: sailors transporting cargo, ships rocking back and forth, merchants arguing with suppliers and children running about laughing. But to Kansten, it looked like so much _more_. With her eyes, modified by the Devil Fruit she'd eaten when she was eleven, she could see everything, before and after they happened. The tiny details, like the minuscule movement of ropes in the wind, the shuffling of boots as men lifted boxes, even the bending of the dock planks as people walked over them - she saw them all, no matter how far away they were. The possible paths they might take outlined them selves in soft purple, and lingering trace of where they had just passed were a light yellow. She watched a ball that a child had thrown arc through the air, its future shuttering before it in a trail of purple and its past stretching out behind it like a yellow comet tail. Before it was even halfway done its journey through the air, she knew where it would land and how it would bounce - past the arms of the waiting receiver and into the crowd of approaching sailors. It was her ability _Fore Read_ that let her predict the trajectory of simple moving objects. More complicated things without a pattern, like the movement of a person, or a sail in a rapidly changing wind, required a further level of skill, but Kansten didn't bother to use it here at a harmless dock.

With a bored sigh, she turned away from the harbor and proceeded to walk down a random alleyway, looking for some kind of adventure. If she had learned one thing from Cobundy and his band of pirates, potential pirates would always be in the thick of something interesting. At least she didn't have to worry about being jumped in this shady lane - one of the perks of the Miru Miru no Mi was night vision, so nothing was too dark for her.

Or so she thought. Since she was in a (relatively) safe town, she hadn't bothered activating her ability beyond their neutral state (which was still seeing the future paths and past trails), and as she turned a corner, she slammed into a hard chest.

"Ow." A hand fluttering up to cup her cheek, she turned to face the man she'd run into - and tipped her head back, and back, and back. Whoever this guy was, he was _tall_. As in, tall enough tower at least a head over any crowd. Kansten wasn't short, she was five foot nine inches, but this guy had to be over a foot taller than her.

"Hey!" The man scowled down at her, lips twisting into a 'holier-than-thou' expression. "Watch where you're going, trash."

"Sorry." Kansten brushed him off and made to move by the man, but he stuck an arm out to stop her.

"Sorry won't cut it, girlie. I'm in a bad mood right now, so you better have something better on you or else..." He sneered down at the shorter girl.

"Well, I'm not in the best mood either, so shove off," Kansten snapped back, stepping around his arm and continuing down the alley.

"Why you!" The man was obviously not used to being ignored and angrily drew back a fist to knock the girl across the face. But almost as if she knew what was happening before he even realized what he was doing, she had stepped gracefully out of the way and his clenched knuckles flew harmlessly by. Gritting his teeth, the man plucked a dagger from his belt and went to swipe at her. But before he could bring his hand back up from his waist, the girl's fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping him before he started. "What the?" He glared at the girl, and as she passed by he caught a glimpse of her strange kaleidoscope eyes. And just like that, the girl swept past him and was gone down the alley, leaving him staring after her.

He relaxed his stance, blue eyes emotionless as he recalled the yellow and orange eyes that had seemed like they stared through his soul. Slipping his dagger back into its sheath, he dragged a hand over his clean shaven face and grinned. "Interesting," he purred. "Very interesting." And he set off after the girl.

* * *

Kansten pushed open the door to a small bar, ignoring the odd look the staff gave her, because it was far too early for anyone to start drinking. Going over to the barkeeper, she caught his attention with a wave of her hand.

"Good morning, little lady," he greeted amiably, setting down a mug he had been in the process of cleaning.

Kansten fought down a twitch at her nickname - she was eighteen for god's sake - and replied calmly, "Good morning. I was wondering if there was someplace I could find temporary employment? I need to make a bit of money, and rather quickly at that."

The barkeeper eyed her, taking in her well-made travelling clothes and heavy belts decorated with knives and other miscellaneous weapons. "Well, for someone like you, I guess there is something." Taking a seat, he leaned towards Kansten as if about to tell her a secret. "Lately we've been having some trouble with bandits." The man spat out the word distastefully. "They've been attacking the harbor at night, running off with goods and supplies before they can be stowed safely. A few weeks ago it had been a pain, but we dealt with it. But as of this day lay week, they stole something of importance to us - the town log, which details everything that has ever transpired in town, and has the trade agreements with neighboring islands. The original plan was for the marines to raid their base, but as soon as they caught wind of it they packed up and moved to the abandoned mine just up the mountain from here. All the marines were taken out to sea for some kind of emergency the day after they escaped, so now the situation's only escalating. I know our town as a whole would gladly give you a reward if you were to take care of the bandits and return the log."

Kansten hmm-ed thoughtfully. This could be interesting. "A mine up the mountain? I didn't see a mountain," she said skeptically.

"Just step outside and face away from the harbor. You'll see it." The barkeeper said. "So does this mean you'll do it?"

"Mmm, I'll think about it." _Yes, of course I'm doing it._

Unnoticed to the both of them, halfway through the tale the door to the bar swung open soundlessly. It remained ajar, a darkened figure standing outside the door listening. As the barkeeper finished explaining their plight, the door closed gently once more, and the person slid back into the growing crowds. Heavy boots made their way opposite of the harbor, and to the mountain on the horizon, half a days walk away.

* * *

And so, a day after she thought she would done with the constant walking, Kansten found herself leaving the harbor town and heading to the mountain. She had stayed with the barkeeper for another hour, milking as much information out of him as she could. Then she adjusted her sandals, filled her water bottle and began down the dusty road. Sandstone Island was a relatively dry place - not as dry as Milima island, which was more like a savanna than anything, but water starved enough for there to be no vegetation higher than her knees when she left the road where the barkeeper had specified. Apparently the mine was on the backside of the mountain, so cutting off the road instead of taking the cut path would be stealthier approach to the bandit's hide out.

Passing through the dry bushes, Kansten scaled the foot of the mountain until she was crouching at the mouth of the mine. Because she was going into a battle, she took a moment to fully activate her Devil Fruit ability.

Immediately a rush of heat pooled in her eye sockets. Kansten could remember the first time she activated her ability; she'd nearly clawed her eyes out at the feeling of her retinas sparking and her optical nerves _wrenching_ sickeningly. Now it was normal and felt as natural as breathing, and as the heat turned to static that crept to the tops her eyes, she cast a fresh glance over the mine entrance. With her Devil Fruit in full use now, all of her basic visual skills were activated: night vision, x-ray, thermal and her constant time vision (the future and past trails one, purple/yellow). Turning off her x-ray, as using it as the same time as her thermal gave her a massive headache, she crept down the roughly cut shaft, alert for any sign of red warmth. It was two dozen meters into the mine that she heard voices. She came across a small cave that had been converted into what she presumed was the bandits' hideout. It was there that the voices were coming from.

"- and how long do we have to stay camped out in this infernal mine?" An angry voice was in the middle of complaining. "It's too crowded, and the rocks creaking gives me the creeps. You'd think that a mountain would be still, but not this one!"

"Oh hush, Moru. You're only ranting because the boss isn't here. If he was, you'd be all over him, kissing up and getting on his good side. You're lucky he's been ignoring all the mutterings about you." Another voice answered, sounding completely at ease.

"I"m surprised 'e 'asn't slit your throat yet," a third voice joined in, "I know I would've long ago."

"Shut up, Kobry," the first voice said. A rustle of clothing came as the speaker presumably stood up. "When's boss getting back anyway?"

"I dunno; he just said sometime soon and that we'd be watching the town log."

"Gah, why do we have to watch a bloody book? It's not like it's going to grow legs and walk off by itself." A thump of a boot hitting something wooden echoed out of the cave to where Kansten was crouching by the entrance.

Curious, she turned off her thermal view and replaced it with x-ray. Peering through the rock walls, she spotted what she assumed was the dissatisfied speaker kicking a small wooden chest irately. He grumbled and paced away from the chest, back to where his other companions. Kansten was surprised to see that there were more than what she thought - the two other speakers, as well as three armed men lying on the ground nearby, presumably sleeping. They were all gathered a few meters from the door, and the angry man stalked past them towards the cave entrance.

"Where are you going?" One of the men, Kansten recognized him to be the second speaker, asked.

"I need to take a piss, and have a smoke. This shit is too stressful for me, all this waiting."

Kansten watched the man get closer to her, her time vision surrounding him in a purple halo. As a person, he had conscious choice over his movements, so the purple trails around him showed every possibility. It had taken over a year to be able to properly distinguish which one he would follow, and to develop one of her most useful skills - _Possibility View._ Now using it, the dozens of purple future trails were narrowed to five or so that led several paces in front of him, and she crept back into the shadows as his purple phantom-self neared the entrance.

She would have to take him out quickly and quietly, and out of sight from his comrades. Slipping a dagger from her belt, she waited until the man had exited the cave and began walking to the mine shaft to sneak up behind him and draw the blade across his neck. With the help of Possibility View, she caught the man's flailing hands before they could hit her and gently lowered him to the ground as he ceased twitching. Dropping his body into a dark crevice, she made her way back to the cave entrance.

One of the men had stood up. "Did you hear that?" He asked the other, turning his head to look at the entrance.

Outside, Kansten swore under her breath. They probably noticed the lack of the dead man's footsteps, when he should still be going to the surface. Quickly looking over the cave with her x-ray vision, she swore again when she realized that the lay out of the room stopped her from just sneaking in and taking them out quietly. The small area was well lit up with oil lamps, and the men were positioned to face the entrance. With a quiet sigh, she took out a small smoke grenade, then thought better of it and replaced with another dagger. The cave was too small for a smoke grenade, and while she would be able to see everything with her x-ray vision, it would kill her lungs. It looked like she was going in swashbuckling style - alone and dual-wielding, not knowing the outcome.

She found it rather fitting. She was going to be a pirate after all.

Not bothering to try to be stealthy anymore, Kansten sprinted straight into the cave. One of the bandits managed to give out a warning cry before a throwing dagger lodged itself in his throat, and Kansten whirled to her next target, another blade already in her hand. She managed to take out one of the just awakening bandits with a slash to his jugular and across his gut before the others were fully aware of what was happening.

Grabbing their weapons they hurried a few steps back, raising them defensively. Two of them had swords, and the last a large mace, and all wielded them with some level of skill, however basic. Kansten wasn't worried about the swordsmen, she had faced enough of them to know what to do, but the one with the mace was probably the biggest threat. If that thing landed one hit on her, it'd probably fracture a few bones.

They warily faced each other down, waiting for one party to make the first move. Unsurprisingly it was the bandits that lunged forward - one of the swordsmen jumped towards her, trying to catch her by surprise. "No way is that working," Kansten said, and neatly deflected the sword stroke. Knocking the legs out from under the bandit, she slammed a knife through his collarbone and twisted it, making sure to neatly sever his windpipe. A tingling at the back of her eyes had her activating another skill, _Encompassing Sight_, that let her see all around her, and she dodged the mace coming down at her neck. "Jesus!" Shivering at the close call - _man, was she out of shape_ - she read the future possible paths of the mace and slipped past it skillfully, taking down the man with surprising ease. As it turned out, he was only good with his club at mid-range; as soon as someone got up close, he fumbled and left himself vulnerable to attack. Kansten gratefully exploited the weakness and let his heavy body fall to the ground with a large thud, the mace rolling from limp hands. Now the last swordsman, realizing he was no match for the girl with the frightening eyes and the red eyelids, tried to escape the cave. Before he could even take a second step towards exit a dagger magically grew from between his shoulder blades. His eyes widened as he stared down the girl, a single thought flickering across his conscious before darkness consumed him - _It was like she knew where I was going to be, before I even did. _

Humming thoughtfully - a habit she'd cultivated over several years of semi-isolated training - Kansten retrieved her daggers and was about to break open the chest with the sound of scuffling reached her ears. Swearing, she jumped into a fighter's stance, daggers ready. The bandits' words rang in her ears: "_When's the boss supposed to be back?" "I dunno; he just said sometime soon." _

But another thought crossed her mind. If 'the boss' was here, then who was he fighting with? More shoving sounds, a ring of steel blades and a yell echoed down the corridor, and Kansten's curiosity was sparked. When she was a child, she had often been told that her curiosity and questions would get the better of her one day. For some reason, their advice seemed a lot more realistic as she crept up the cave entrance and peaked down the mine shaft.

But no one was there.

Well, that wasn't true. There _was_ someone there, but it was more like a dead body - one she presumed belonged the bandit boss. It was sprawled limply across the floor, fresh blood pooling slightly, and with her night vision she could see the large gash that nearly cleaved him in two. But his attacker was no where to be seen.

Then the tingling in the back of her eyes came back full force and she pulled her 360 degree sight around her like an encompassing blanket, just in time to see the heavy blade enter her field of vision and aim for her head. "Boo."

With reflexes trained for long years to keep up with her inhuman sight she whirled about and crossed her daggers over her head, catching the blade between them and shoving it safely over her. Heart still thundering from the sudden start, she found herself facing the tall man who wielded the spear previously pointed at her head. He had black hair streaked with deep blue pulled up into a messy high pony tail and eyes the same colour, and wore a ripped long-sleeved jacket shirt, with a silver cross hanging from the collar. Loose pants (also ripped) were a pale grey, and pulled over strong boots. A long scarf fluttered behind him lazily, stirring in a breeze that wasn't there.

Kansten realized she recognized the man from somewhere. Wait, that was right! She'd bumped into him today, early in the streets! The grumpy guy who tried to punch her and then stab her.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she had pinned the guy with her Devil Fruit eyes - eyes of the devil, eyes of a god, people called them - and said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

**AN - Tada, cliffhanger! Sorry if the ending is kind of unsatisfying, I'm tired and running out of steam. You'll be introduced mystery man next scene. I'll try to keep updating as soon as possible, but midterms are coming up so I'll be a bit tight on time. Oh, and a list of Kansten O'Malley's Devil Fruit abilities so far:**

_**Fore Read - **_**predicts the possible paths of simple movements. Ex: a rolling ball, a coin being flipped - things that don't have any choice of their trajectory**

_**Possibility**_**_ View_ - can calculate the most likely possible paths from over three dozen to half a dozen. Applies to complex/conscious movements (a person walking, bird flying, paper airplane flying in a storm) and extends several seconds into the future. Think five purple versions of a person showing the possible future paths before the person themselves does it. **

_**Encompassing**_** _Sight _- provides a 360 view around and above, and with x-ray vision below as well. Has a range of around a meter (three something feet)**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed - Matches**


	3. Chapter 3 - Meeting Yasei!

**AN - The next chapter for all my lovely readers. I know how annoying cliffhangers can be when you have to wait forever for the next part, so here it. **

**Disclaimer - I don't own One Piece, only all the characters/places/things I made up.**

* * *

_Last time, in Scene 2 - A Mysterious Stranger:_

_"The barkeeper eyed her, taking in her well-made travelling clothes and heavy belts decorated with knives and other miscellaneous weapons. "Well, for someone like you, I guess there is something. Lately we've been having some trouble with bandits. They moved to the abandoned mine just up the mountain from here. I know our town as a whole would gladly give you a reward if you were to take care of them."_

_The bandits' words rang in her ears: "__When's the boss supposed to be back?" "I dunno; he just said sometime soon."_

___If 'the boss' was here, then who was he fighting with? S__he crept up the cave entrance and peaked down the mine shaft, b__ut no one was there. There __was_ someone there, but it was more like a dead body - one she presumed belonged the bandit boss. His attacker was no where to be seen.

_"Boo." She found herself facing the tall man who wielded the spear previously pointed at her head. Kansten realized she recognized the man from somewhere; she'd bumped into him today, early in the streets! Before she even realized what she was doing, she had pinned the guy with her Devil Fruit eyes - eyes of the devil, eyes of a god, people called them - and said, "What the hell are you doing here?" _

* * *

**Scene 2 - Meeting Yasei!/ An Odd Recruitment  
**

The man facing Kansten grinned, tanned skin creasing. "I think I should be asking you that, girlie. That was some move just now."

Kansten scowled and kicked him in the gut, forcing his spear to the side. "Did you take out that guy?" She gestured to the bandit leader's corpse a few feet away.

The man just shot her a look that said, 'Obviously,' and leveled his spear at her again. The weapon was probably a meter long, with a blade adding another foot. A small guard stopped an opponent's weapon from sliding down the pole, which was strong mahogany wood reinforced with iron. The man wielded it expertly, and from the killing blow on the dead body nearby, it was safe to assume he was a deadly fighter.

"Those eyes of yours sure are pretty, girlie." The man said, grinning. Kansten scoffed. "They're a lot more than just decorations."

The man didn't say anything else, merely lunging forward to engage in combat once more. They fought for several minutes, clashing continuously in the dark mine shaft. Kansten didn't even understand why they were fighting - the man had helped her take out the bandits. But there was something about him that made her keep on fighting. Maybe it was the way his eyes flashed when he swung his spear, maybe it was the delighted, vicious set of his shoulders, or maybe it was the ease with which he drew blood.

But whatever it was, she was happy she was aware of it, because this man was dangerous.

After gaining a nasty slice to his cheek, the man fell back, wiping the seeping cut carelessly. "I dare say you're pretty good, getting a cut on me like that, girlie. What's your name?" He leaned nonchalantly on his spear, not even out of breath.

Kansten on the other had, wasn't doing so well. She was panting lightly, with small but stinging cuts on her arms. But she still had some fight in her. "Why should I tell you that, Mr. Spear man?" She said, sucking in a deep breath through her nose.

The man placed his spear over his shoulders, his grin turning into more of a scowl. "'Cause you're interestin', that's why."

It was only Kansten's Possibility View that warned her of the man's movements - a sudden eruption of purple phantom-selves all made their way behind and towards her during the last two words of his sentence. They were all impossibly fast, and Kansten knew that without her ability she would be no match for this man. _He'd make a pretty good pirate._

Wait. Where did that come from?

Drawn out of her thoughts by the real man's movements, she spun before he could get behind her - she did know where he was going and what he was doing after all. A perfectly placed swipe of her hand knocked his spear aside. She caught it in the crook of her elbow and neatly reversed it in the man's grip, so that point was facing the ground. A nudge with her knee to displace a leg in the middle of moving forward and a hard knock to his solar plexus had him stumbling, and she shoved him against eh rock wall, forearm pressed to his throat.

The man stared at her with a look of surprise. This girl - what was she? Back in the alley, he had thought her graceful dodge had been pure luck (even though he didn't believe in luck), but now he saw that she really could tell what he was going to do before he even moved. Somehow.

A smirk worked its way onto his tanned face. "You really are something. 'S a pity you won't last any longer." With that he maneuvered his spear to point at the girl's head and thrust.

Kansten saw the movement in her Encompassing Sight, but couldn't react fast enough because she was pinning the man down. It was pure instinct that led her to turn her head and let out a burst of high intensity x-ray vision that radiated from her eyes in a shock wave and caused the steel spear head to crumple like tin foil. She bit back a groan as a spike of pain shot straight into her brain - no matter how many times she used _Gamma Shock_, it still hurt like a bitch. At least it wasn't as bad as last time.

The man glared at his crumpled spear head, looking pissed. He turned his fierce blue eyes to Kansten, obviously waiting for her to deal the finishing blow. But the girl did nothing of the sort; stepping back, she sheathed her daggers and smirked at him. Her earlier thought came back to her; he'd would be a _great_ pirate. "Hey," she said. "Have you ever considered the thought of being a pirate?"_  
_

The man seemed stumped. "Can't say I've ever really thought 'bout it, girlie," he said, running a hand over his spear head with one eye fixed Kansten. "Great," she said, her smirk growing, "so why don't you join my crew?" He didn't seem to buy the idea. "I don't see what's in it for me," he stated flatly, but there was a gleam in his eyes that Kansten recognized - curiosity. "You'll get to fight all you want. And kill." Kansten coaxed. "I know you like both, I can tell in the way you move, and the way that corpse has been lovingly decapitated."

"Aw, shucks, you're embarrassing me," the man said sarcastically. "But in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the type to be told what to do, so I don't like havin' captains and the like. Especially if it's a girlie like _you_ as captain." He shot a pointed look at her. Kansten waved it aside airily. "Maa, maa, it's not like it'd be that bad. We're pirates; it's not like I'd be telling you how to live your life and when to pull up your pants like the damn marines. Just who to hit and how hard."

"Mmm," the man said thoughtfully. "Who to hit and how hard?... Wait a second, I never agreed to this, what do you mean 'we're pirates'!" Kansten shot him a flat look, her eyes still twisting from her Devil Fruit ability. "Of course you agreed to it, so now we're pirates. You're part of my damn crew." The man raised his hands, a bit flustered. "When did I ever say I accepted? And I don't even know your name!"

Kansten just snorted and started walking back to the cave with the town log. "As if I need your agreement. And my name's Kansten O'Malley, so that problems been fixed, right?" The man started after her, totally thrown by the complete bluntness of the strange girl, and only snapped out of it when she glared back at him. "Oi, are you staying behind?" He hurried to catch up, saying, "No, coming." Then a voice in the back of his head whispered, _You're following her like you're part of her crew already. _ He considered it for a moment, then cracked a feral grin. _This might be interesting, and I _do _get to fight and kill all I want. If I don't like where this goes I'll just kill her and leave._ With his mind made up, he went to where Kansten was frowning at the chest with the log and said, "Well, girlie, this might be interestin'. Call me Yasei."_  
_

"As in wild?" Kansten raised a disbelieving eyebrow, then made a cheerful noise when she managed to pick the chest's lock. "Yours truly," Yasei mocked, snatching the town log from the chest and tossing it up and down. "Hey, give that back! All you did was kill one measly bandit, I did the rest." Kansten chased him out the mine and Yasei let himself be caught, chuckling creepily. If his captain was a girl who paid no heed to the blood stains on her clothes, or the corpses on the ground, and even commented on the gruesome skill he'd decapitated the bandit leader with casually, then he might, just _might_, find this pirate idea interesting.

"So how many other crew members do you have?" "Ah, just you and me." Or maybe not.

* * *

**AN - Sorry if this scene's a bit stiff, I guess, 'cause I'm tired and getting Yasei in there was a pain (at least getting him in and not messing up his ideal personality.) Not as long as other scenes, but enough. There was only really one scene (sorry) but it was important enough for it to be a stand alone, and the what came after did not flow well. 'Til next time, Matches.**

*** Yasei - literally means wild in Japanese. **


	4. Chapter 4 - The Finale and Fight

**AN - I was going to post this earlier, but it got deleted at first, then my uploading system kept on crashing so... Anyway, here it is!**

**Disclaimer -**** I don't own One Piece, only all the characters/places/things I made up.**

* * *

_Last time, in Scene 3 - Meeting Yasei!:_

_Kansten knew that without her ability she would be no match for this man. He was dangerous. '__He'd make a pretty good pirate.' A smirk worked its way onto his tanned face. "You really are something." With that he maneuvered his spear to point at the girl's head and thrust._

___The man glared at his crumpled spear head, and waited for her to deal the finishing blow. But the girl did nothing of the sort; stepping back, she sheathed her daggers and smirked at him. Her earlier thought came back to her; he'd would be a __great_ pirate. "Hey," she said. "Have you ever considered the thought of being a pirate?" "Can't say I ever have." "Great," she said, her smirk growing, "so why don't you join my crew? You'll get to fight all you want. And kill." 

_____'This could be worth it, and I _do _get to fight and kill all I want. If I don't like where this goes I'll just kill her and leave.' The man made up his mind. "Well, girlie, this might be interestin'. Call me Yasei."_

* * *

**Scene 3 - The Finale and Fight/The Man in Grey...**

The sun was setting when Kansten shoved the town log into the surprised grasp of the town mayor. Next came ten minutes of blubbered 'thank you's and 'how will we ever repay you's, until Kansten had to bodily hold back Yasei from running the old man through.

"Come on, all his bowin' and scrapin' is pissin' me off!" Yasei complained, pointing at the corner where the old mayor cowered in fear. "You'll just have to hope that scarring him for life is satisfying enough, wild man. If you kill him we'll never get our payment." Once she was sure that Yasei wouldn't kill the mayor, she let him go and faced the old man. "Of course, if we just so happen to get a generous gift of money I'm sure we'll be gone by noon tomorrow."

The mayor obviously got Kansten's not-so-subtle hint and practically shoved a coin-heavy bag into her arms, slamming the door in their faces once they were on the front step. Yasei, of course, got a kick out it, but it had Kansten grumbling at how none of the inns would give them a room because they'd scared them off. Eventually they found a grassy hill off to the side of the harbour and settle down under the stars. They were roused by the beams of the sun as it rose, and hurried to prepare for departure.

"So, girlie," Yasei said as they filched some food from an unsuspecting vendor, "how exactly are we gonna get a ship? 'Cause we won't have money left for food after buying one." Kansten grinned as she shoved an apple and a tart into her pocket. "Who said we're gonna buy a ship? We're pirates! We have to have our grande finale."

Yasei came to dread those words, as they led to a wild chase across town, several pilfered merchant caravans, knocking out the harbour guards and stealing a sailboat, all before eleven o'clock. Yasei was not a morning person, so as Sandstone Island slipped out of sight, he was not in a good mood, and told his captain so.  
Kansten just laughed and settled down in the prow of the ship. "Whatever, wild man. So, where should we head to next?" "You don't know where we're going?!"  
"Well, I do. Just where should we go next?" At Yasei's scornful look, Kansten shrugged and trimmed the sails. They veered off eastwards, and Yasei couldn't help but ask what their destination was. Kansten just muttered something about an isle being two days sailing from Sandstone Island, and moved on to a more important topic. Gazing up into the cloudless sky, she said, "What should our flag look like?"

"Uh, I dunno. You're the captain, girlie." Yasei looked up from where he was checking the binding of his new spearhead (Kansten had supplied him with it the day before.) At Kansten's blank stare ("So what," it seemed to say) he sighed and leaned his spear against the railing. "Ah, how about a dead body?" "No." "A dead body with a spear in it?" He wiggled his weapon proudly to. "NO. We're not a floating morgue, wild man. We're pirates." The spear man sighed. "So a jolly roger then? I mean, you're the captain, so it's got somethin' to do with you..." He stared intensely at her for a few seconds, then threw his hands up in the air. "I give up! We can think about it later... Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Turning, Kansten stared out at sea where Yasei pointed his spear. Seeing the small smudge rapidly breaching the horizon and sailing towards them, she leaned out over the side and zoomed in with her eyes. It was a white ship, lined with blue and manned by small figures in white coats. Seeing the symbol painted on the sails, she swore and retracted her zoom. "That is a Marine ship, wild man." She said, scrambling to her feet.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Yasei grabbed the sides of the boat so he didn't fall from the rocking and eyed the incoming Marine ship. "They're coming in awfully fast, and heading straight for us." He observed. Kansten grit her teeth as she manhandled the sails, turning them about and sailing to the left of the ship. "They've got awfully big sails and we did just finish rampaging a town," she reminded him. There was a loud _fwoosh_ as the wind filled the sails and the small sailboat quickly picked up speed. But no matter how fast they went they would never outrun the Marines ship. "We'll never get away, girlie." Yasei said, ducking as the small boom swung over head as Kansten hit a current and veered to the side. "I know - I'm looking for a reef or something to out sail them on. A huge ship like that thing will just bust its bottom open on the rocks."

"I don't see any rocks at all, captain!" "Just shut up and help me!"

* * *

_~Five Hours Earlier~_

"It feels good to be going home, doesn't it," Lieutenant Jack "Grey" Derrick, captain of the _Right Wing_ Marine ship, said to his second in command Loren Rich. "It does, captain," the other man agreed, looking out over the horizon. "I wonder if everything ran smoothly this past week." Grey sighed in agreement. "I really wish they didn't have to call out our unit to bust that smugglers cove," he said ruefully. Loren laughed, grinning at his captain. "But sir, who else would they call out but the Grey Marine?" "Shut up, Rich," the lieutenant growled, hands wrapping themselves in his signature grey marine coat.

"Captain, captain!" The sound of shouting brought their attention from the ocean around the ship to the man scrambling towards them, Den Den Mushi in hand. "Captain, there's an urgent transmission from town!" The man shoved the Den Den Mushi into Grey's hands, and the lieutenant picked up warily. "Lieutenant Derrick here," he said.

"Lieutenant Grey!" The town mayor's voice burst through the Den Den Mushi, which began sobbing its eyes out in the mayor's distress. "It's terrible! Pirates; pirates just left the town!" "What?" Grey yelled. "Mayor, stop bawling for a second and tell me what happened!" The old man on the other side of the line took a few deep breathes and said tremulously, "Pirates, Lieutenant Grey. They just left half an hour ago. When they first came in we didn't know they were pirates, and they went and got the town log back from the bandits in the mountain. They seemed a bit suspicious - one was very short tempered, but another kept him in line - but they did as they were told and we paid them. But the next morning they stole food from a few merchant caravans, knocked out the harbor guards and stole a ship! They have to be pirates!"

Grey sighed and put his head in his hand, eyeing the Den Den Mushi, which was whimpering slightly. "How many pirates were there, mayor?" He said, trying to conjure patience from mid-air. "Two, Lieutenant Grey." The mayor sounded very proud that he had gotten this information. "Two..." Grey fought back the urge to slam his head against the nearest wall and spoke slowly. "What did they look like, these _two_ pirates." "Uh, one was a very tall man, with black and blue hair in a wolf tail, and had a spear. He had a black vest and loose brown pants and was in his early twenties, I think. The other was a girl, late teens, with black hair and a blue vest and creme pants. She had odd red eyelids -" "Was she wearing make-up, mayor?" Grey said, unimpressed. "No! No, she wasn't because the red and grey things moved; they looked like fog slowly curling across her eyelids and a bit like eye shadow, but not a lot. And her _eyes._" Grey looked up at the mayor's soft murmur. "What about her eyes, mayor?" There was a pause, and the crew that had gathered around looked at the Den Den Mushi anxiously. Then came the mayor's voice: "They were like a god's eyes. Or a devil's - I don't know which. Orange, yellow, silver, and cross-shaped pupils that moved on their own. It's like she stares right through you. Her eyes - they're like a _grim reaper's._"

"Grim eyes, eh?" Grey handed the Den Den Mushi to Loren, making his way to the helm. "They're in a small ship if they're two people, so they'll be heading to the closest island out of Sandstone Island harbor. Cosley, take a wide course along that route, and keep your eyes open for these pirates. I'll be in my cabin preparing my weapons." He strode off as the helmsman swung the ship about, following his orders. As he opened the door to his room, he eyed the poleaxe leaning by his bed, taking it in his hands. "I don't know who you are, Grim Eyes, but I'll sure as hell find you and put you to an end, like all pirates should be."

* * *

_~Present Time~_

"Girlie, they're right behind us!" Kansten swore as she heard Yasei shout, twisting to glance behind them. Sure enough, eight boat lengths away was the Marine ship, rapidly approaching. Their steel-reinforced prow was aimed straight at them, and Kansten knew what they planned to immediately. "Yasei, grab all the food you can and still be able to fight! They're going to ram the ship!" "What?!" Ignoring Yasei, Kansten abandoned the sails and grabbed her pack, stuffing it with as many water gourds and food bags as she could. She could hear Yasei scrambling to do the same, and as he came up behind her she heaved hard on the tiller, turning it so that their boat was sideways and that the Marine ship would ram its centre. As the prow came alarmingly close, she turned to Yasei and shouted, "Jump onto the hull!" She pointed to where the steel plated prow met the wood hull - there was enough space and groves for hands and feet to find purchase.

Swearing loudly, Yasei strapped his spear to his back and threw himself onto the hull. His hands scrabbled for a moment, but he quickly found handholds and pulled himself flat to the hull. Following him, Kansten jumped just as their ship was hit, crunching in two from the impact. Using the resulting buckle of the wood, she was launched a few feet higher up and grabbed a hold above Yasei. Below her, the spear man yelled over the crunching of wood and roar of water, "How the hell do we end up in these crazy situations?" Catching her breath, Kansten let out a laugh. "We're pirates, wild man!" "That doesn't answer everything!" "Of course it does!"

Pulling herself up, she scrambled up over the railing and onto the deck, Yasei following. Drawing her knives and slipping her brass knuckles on, she eyed the Marines that formed a loose half-circle around them. "You take the ones on the right, I'll take the ones on the left?" She said as she pressed her back to Yasei's. The spear man let out a chuckle, leveling his spear. "You did promise me that I'd get to fight all I want." Kansten sunk into a fighting stance, knives up. "Of course."

A man pushed his way through the crowd. Unlike the usual white Marine coat, he wore a grey one, and had a grey vest on underneath. Brown hair was combed back and a beard ran along his jaw. In his hand he held a poleaxe, which glinted menacingly. He was obviously the captain of the ship, as all the marines gave way before him. "So," his voice was deep and strong, "you're Grim Eyes."

* * *

**AN - Sorry, I'm just so fond of cliff-hangers! As a pirate captain, Kansten's gotta have a marine hunting her down, right? Well, here he is, the Grey Marine! (He's actually Jack Derrick, but everyone calls him Grey) You'll be introduced more the next chapter, "A Captain's Title/A Pirate Crew"**

** Matches. **


	5. Chapter 5 - A Captain's Title

**AN - Well here's the next installment. Sorry it's been awhile, I've been a bit busy with the new school semester and all. Enjoy! (PS - I won't put in the 'previously in' thing at the beginning of this chapter. If someone wants it back just let me know.)**

**Disclaimer - Don't own One Piece!**

* * *

**Scene 4 - A Captain's Title/A Pirate Crew**

The deck of the Marine ship Right Wing was laden with the air of a fight. Kansten and Yasei stood back to back, surrounded by marines.  
Lieutenant Grey looked the two pirates over. The spear man was just as the mayor had described him - tall, black and blue haired, and short-tempered looking. The spear he held was four feet long, an extra foot added by the long, deadly looking blade. The girl was in her late teens, but the mayor's description did her eyes little justice. The phrase 'eyes of the grim reaper' was the closest he could describe her gaze, and even then it wasn't enough.

They both looked ready to decapitate anyone who came close to them.

Kansten could feel the captain's eyes on her, and tightened her grip on her knives. So far none of the marines had made a move to attack, and the future opportunities didn't show any either. What were they waiting for?

Then the purple trails began to flicker and Kansten yelled, "Here they come!" Her shout surprised some of the advancing marines - they had just started to move, how did she know?- and their surprise was what laid them low. Yasei was upon them like a wolf, spear weaving about expertly. "Try not to kill too many of them!" Kansten cautioned as she too joined the fray, knives glinting.

Yasei let out a frustrated snarl but did as he was told, breaking limbs with the shaft of his spear and plunging the head into non-fatal areas. He left a trail of groaning or unconscious men behind him, working his way through their attackers.

Kansten's fight was much different on the other had. She did not block her opponent's attacks; instead she was seconds ahead of them. Ducking under a sword swing that had only started, side stepping a thrust from behind without looking, she was everywhere. For a few moments she was lost in the mass of bodies, then she knocked out all her attackers and stepped back for a brief moment. "Oi, wild man, how're you holding up?" Yasei grinned from across the deck. "What, are you worrying 'bout me, girlie?" "Never, old man! I was just seein' if you're up for our daring escape!" Kansten shot back. "Ha? Have you thought of a plan already?" "'Course!" Somersaulting between the legs of several men and neatly rolling down the stairs to where Yasei was fighting, she took a position behind him and whispered something into his ear. Yasei's eyes widened and shot her a look clearly asking '_Are you crazy?_' but darted away from her none the less, and began wading through the mass of marines once more. Kansten went to follow, but a flicker of purple above her head made her jump back, and not a second later a poleaxe sunk into the deck where she had been standing.

Bringing her knives up, she spun to face her attacker and saw the Grey Marine. The muscular man yanked the poleaxe from the wood and pointed it at her, maneuvering to that he was between her and Yasei. The marine lieutenant eyed her warily; whoever this Grim Eyes was, she was dangerous. The immobile bodies lying around them proved it so. The girl shifted her grip on her knives, yellow eyes watching him patiently. They circled one another, looking for an opening but seeing none. Finally Lieutenant Grey became impatient and lunged forward, but Kansten danced around his attack gracefully. Stepping into his guard, she slammed an elbow into his ribs and was about to plunge her dagger through his arm when the hilt of his poleaxe smashed into her side. Before he could follow up and slice her with the head of the poleaxe, which he had expertly spun around to face her, she dropped to the deck and kicked his legs out from under him. She rolled away and jumped to her feet, a hand pressing to where she got hit. She winced. That was going to be one nasty bruise. This marine was a lot better than she expected from a lieutenant.

A purple trail in front of the poleaxe warned her as the staff swept towards her knees. Jumping, she landed delicately - landed _on_ the staff. While it wasn't hard because she knew where it was going, the marines didn't know that, and they gawked at her. Grinning, she plucked out her largest knife and sliced at the wood staff. It wasn't enough to break the wood, but it left a sizable crack, and before anyone could react she lightly ran up the staff. Jumping up onto the lieutenant's arm, she pushed off his shoulder and flipped over the marine's heads. In her Encompassing Sight she saw an arm reaching out to grab her ankle, and twisted to that she faced her attacker. Looking down into the shocked face of Grey, her grin turned into a smirk, and before his fingers could grasp her foot she flexed her legs and kicked off his reaching hand, propelling her farther.

She landed away from the crowd of marines, slamming into a stray and touching down on his back. Jumping off his head, she mid-air split kicked two marines approaching her from either side, knocking them out. Hand-springing off the shoulders of the third in front of her, she landed neatly and slammed the hilt of her knife into his neck, and he crumpled to the ground. "Hey girlie, hurry your ass and get over here!" Yasei's voice rang out from behind her, and the girl rolled her eyes, round-house kicking a man in the face and sending him flying. "Just a moment!" Finishing him off, Kansten hurried to help him fumble with the last ropes holding a life boat over the water. Clambering into the boat, the spear man motioned for her follow. "Come on, girlie. I'm leavin' in five seconds whether your in here or not!" Kansten grinned and slashed at the ropes holding the boat up, saying, "Don't order your captain around."

"Aaagh, ya crazy girlie! You're tryin' to kill me!" Yasei's voice followed him out of sight as he dropped to the water below. There was a loud splash, and water was thrown up into the air, a glimmering back ground to Kansten crouching on the railing. Standing, she gave a bow to the gawking marines, knives still in hand. "Kansten O'Malley, at your service." She proclaimed. Then, wearing her shit-eating grin, she gave a mock salute to Lieutenant Grey and said, "So long Grey." And she gracefully fell backwards from the railing.

Grey rushed to the railing, chest heaving from his short but adrenaline-pumping fight. Peering over the edge, he saw the two pirates scrambling around the life boat below. The sails were let out and the strong wind filled them with a loud _whoomph_, and they were off. "After them!" He roared, running to his helmsman and snatching a spy glass from a bewildered navigator. Looking through it, he could see Kansten standing at the stern of their new boat, waving cheekily. Yasei sat by the mast, cleaning his spear and smirking at the marines. "Lieutenant Grey, it's impossible for us to catch up to them; they stole the specialty marine escape boat, they're specifically designed to be able to be faster than any warship." The helmsman told him, waiting for his judgement. "I know," Grey said through gritted teeth. Roughly collapsing the spy glass, he turned away from the pirates angrily and let out a heavy sigh.

"Shall we give chase, sir?" The helmsman asked hesitantly. The lieutenant didn't say anything, and his second in command Loren glanced to his officer. "Captain?" Grey ran a hand over the crack in his poleaxe staff and eyed the pirates that were now a speck on the horizon. "No. Take us the nearest marine base, Mr. Cosley. We need to tell the higher ups about those two; they could be dangerous. But once we're done we _will_ go after them. They're the type that always make trouble..." He shot the almost-gone life boat one last glare, then descended from the helm and made his way to a man with scraggly blond hair. Towering over the diminutive marine, he growled, "Tell me you got them."

Handing the lieutenant two slips of paper, the man gulped and nervously clutched at the camera around his neck. Staring at the photos in his hands, Grey scowled down at the two pirates inanimate representatives: in one, Yasei wore his blood-thirsty smile, reddened spear in his hands and blood splattered on his face and clothes. He was looking at something off the side, and his barred teeth made him looking like a predator hunting its next prey not for necessity but the joy of killing. As much as he despised the pirate, he had to admit that Kansten's picture was excellent. It had been taken the moment the water had been thrown up in the air by the life boat, creating a glittering backdrop as Kansten crouched on the railing. The light, distorted by the water droplets, caught along the glinting knives in her hands, and with the sun behind her Kansten's face was cast into light shadow, her eyes peering luminously out from them. Her features were still visible, but the distorted grey gave her an eerie mysteriousness. The picture was just big enough to catch her entire body and the rail she crouched on, but there wasn't too much background, only water frozen in time.

Grey knew that if marine photographers were actually paid for the quality of their shots and ability to capture personality, the photographer before him would be rich with this photo.

The lieutenant glared down at the photos in his hands. He didn't care if the higher ups decided that the two pirates weren't worth his time, he was going to hunt them down regardless. He could feel it in his gut - there was something terrifying riding on the backs of those pirates, and he was determined to be the one to stop it. _We will meet again, Spear Yasei and Grim Eyes O'Malley,_ he mentally promised, and turned to disappear into his cabin.

* * *

"So, your second day as a pirate and you've already raided a marine ship. How's it feel?" Kansten asked from the prow of the ship, draped over the wood carelessly. Yasei eyed her as he took a sip from a small bottle of sake he'd stolen back in town. He'd been planning to save it for later, but after what had just happened he decided he deserved a drink. "Well, when you promised me as much fightin' as I wanted I didn't believe you at first, girlie, but I'm startin' to see the truth in it now."

The teenager laughed and flipped onto her stomach, propping her chin on her crossed arms. "See, I told you it was worth it. Anyway, we should be arriving at the next island by nightfall if the waters stay calm like this." She stuck a hand into the satchel by her feet and pulled out an apple, devouring it. "I think it's called Rovuray Isle - their udon is pretty good, apparently. I wonder if we can get some, we didn't buy much in the last town 'cause we stole it all, so we're fine for money..." Yasei sighed at his captain's rambling, tipping back the sake bottle and taking several big gulps. "I don't care either way as long as we get some sake and don't have to make another grande finale." "Ah, so stingy! Grande finales are fun!" "But it's your damn grande finale that has the marines on our tails, girlie!"

Their bickering followed them over the waves as they sailed, and neither of them noticed the passing of time. The two pirates landed at Rovuray Isle eight hours later. According to the notes on the map Rovuray was a hot-spot for pirates to stop, restock and relax, so it was not surprising to see a few black flags as tehy docked in the harbor. Leaving Yasei to tie up the sail boat, Kansten wandered down the docks, eyeing the stores and restaurants facing the sea. A good chunk of the isle's income obviously came from passing pirates, because swords, pistols, flamboyant hat and dazzling jewels were on display left and right. She was dubiously loking over a ridiculous belt adorned with feathers, emeralds, shark teeth and gaudy pink heart beads when Yasei came up behind her, grumbling. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"The dock man. He asked for 300 beli to dock _our_ ship! That's too much for for dinghy like that." Yasei didn't sound pleased. "So what'd you do?" If Kansten knew Yasei he wouldn't have accepted such an outrageous price. She was right, because the spear man said quite smugly, "I hit him over the head 'til he agreed on 20 beli." Kansten laughed and punched his shoulder. "See, told you being a pirate was worth it!"

Yasei was about to punch her back and growl out that he would have done the same even if he wasn't a pirate when a lady's voice not far from them cried out, "Let me go!" Curious, the two turned towards the entrance of a shadowed alley way. There a young girl struggled in the grasp of three leering men, easily identifiable as pirates because of their wrinkled clothes and weathered faces. The girl was probably in her mid-teens, with long blonde curl;s falling to her waist. An upturned basket of fruit and bread loaves lay at her feet.

"Let me go, you filthy pirates!" The girl yelped, trying to twist away from teh them. "No can do, little lady. You're quite the looker, so it'd be a shame if you got away, hmm?" The man holding her wrist said, his ugly face scrunching up in a vile grin. The girl's wiggling increased, and she kicked one of her captor's hard between the legs. On the side lines, Kansten silently cheered her on. "You bitch!" The man gasped, clutching the injured area gingerly. Raising a fist, he went to hit the girl. "You'll regret that!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A hand shot out and gripped the man's wrist before he could strike. The girl looked to her savior, startled, and met churning yellow eyes. "Are you alright? Kansten asked her, casually shifting her grip on the man's wrist and twisting the man's arm up behind him. "Uh..." The girl stared, dumbfounded, then gulped. "Yes?" The yellow-eyed teenager pinned the thug to alley wall and knocked him unconscious with a jab to the temple. "That's nice, miss. So shall we get out of here?"

"But what about the other two?" The girl exclaimed, whirling about in alarm. She came face to face with Yasei's eerie grin and stumbled back in shock. The spear man just rolled his eyes and stepped over the two bodies lying still on the ground around him, wiping blood from his cheeks and went to stand at Kansten's shoulder. "So what's with the girl?" He asked, not seeming to notice the blood-stains his fight had left on the walls or the staining his hands. Kansten wrinkled her nose at her first mate. "Do you always have to make such a mess?" She complained. "And anyway this girl is the reason we beat these guys up. Did you not notice her?" "Naw, I just saw you going for it and jumped in for a fight." He gave her a lazy, bone-chilling grin, showing all his teeth. Kansten just huffed at him. "Honestly, I thought I could expect more of you but I guess not." She mumbled, and turned back to the girl, who was looking at them uncertainly. "Great, now she's wondering if we're crazy or not, and whether she should run," Kansten sighed and grabbed the girl's shoulder, dragging her out of the alley despite her quiet protests. "So, go to your parents or something," Kansten nudged her down the road.

The girl stumbled, but quickly righted herself and turned to look at the two people that had saved her. The young lady, who was only a few years older than her, was back to arguing with the bloodstained man like it was something they did everyday. By the way she didn't flinch at the blood and the man rolling his eyes and ignoring her with a scowl, it probably was. The lady seemed nice enough, even though she took out the pirate with a single hit and had frightening eyes, and while the man seemed... wild, the most he seemed to do other than fight was roll his eyes and growl at the girl. Vaguely she wondered what their relationship was - were they siblings? Or lovers? Looking back at them, she saw that the lady was attempting to get the man in a headlock, and it was failing terribly because of their tremendous difference in height. _No, definitely not lovers. At least not right now. _

"Um, excuse me," she approached them hesitantly. They had saved her from the pirates, and had let her go. They didn't seem like bad people. "If you would like, I could treat you to some food for saving me. I work at a tavern not far from here, and the owner will be happy to give you a discount after hearing what you did."

They turned to look at her, the lady with cheerful curiosity on her face and the man sporting a scowl like usual. They exchanged glances, and the lady shrugged. "Sure thing. What's your name?"

She gave them a large smile and began walking down the street, away from the harbor. "My name is Cona; pleased to meet you."

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**AN - So, like I said I didn't put in the 'in the previous scene so and so happened' paragraph, but if someone wants it back just let me know. And I was thinking of redoing the prologue chapter, because I'm not really satisfied with it and now that Kansten's been written out some more I'm reconsidering her past and all. Hope it wasn't too boring, but I felt like I wanted to the arch-marine, Jack Grey Derrick, in here and start to introduce a new character in the same chapter. I'll update as soon as possible.**

**Matches**


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